by Dr. Libby Adjei
Writing a research paper differs from writing a grant since they are two distinct genres (Selhlaoui et al., 2021). Knowing this before the grant writing process will ease the tension in producing a well-polished grant proposal the first time.
Ward (2022) discloses that “grant writing takes a village.” Writing a grant can be lonely; do not tackle it alone. Consider forming a team and solicit internal stakeholders (Ward, 2022). If there needs to be more team members, seek external stakeholders.
Once the team is formed, revisit the organization’s vision and mission statements. These two statements should be the driving force for writing a grant proposal (Cunningham, 2020).
The next step is to look for funding opportunities, and the whole team needs to search for available grants (de Farber, 2022).
Once the team has found a grant that fits the organization’s goals, start reviewing the guidelines for the grant application. Low-quality grant applications do not follow the guidelines and have missed steps in the process (Cunningham, 2020). Most funders will have a meet and greet to discuss the grant. Prepare a set of questions to ask so the team will understand what the funder is looking for in the grant proposal. Connecting with the funder and reviewing other grants funded by this particular entity will assist in writing.
The team should assign duties and make a checklist of items that must be submitted, such as a narrative, budget, objectives, etc. Another helpful tool is searching online for other grant proposals submitted and awarded by the funder (Ward, 2022). Reading other proposals will provide insight on the language used to convey the need for funding, how to write objective benchmarks, budgetary projections, and the implementation of programming. A team member can contact institutions that have received funding to assist further. Creating allies can assist the team in targeting what is required to obtain the grant (de Farber, 2022).
After taking these steps, the next phase is the writing process. Each team member should draft a portion of the grant. Meet weekly to review and critique the team’s rough drafts and ensure the timeline is always present so the grant is submitted days before the deadline (Ward, 2022).
Works Cited
Cunningham, K. (2020). Beyond Boundaries: Developing Grant Writing Skills across Higher Education Institutions. Journal of Research Administration, 51(2), 41–57. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1293015.pdf
de Farber, B. (2022). Creating fundable grant proposals: 10 steps for successful grant seeking with partners. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2022/03/01/creating-fundable-grant-proposals/
Sehlaoui, S. A., Gross, E., & Ruengwatthakee, P. (2021). Motivating factors and obstacles behind grant research: The case of a teaching focused state college. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1293036.pdf
Ward, D. M. (2022). Grant Writing Takes a Village. https://stattrak.amstat.org/2022/01/01/it-takes-a-village/
Dr. Libby Adjei is an Assistant Professor of Education, in the College of Education at Oral Roberts University.